Cardinals kick off December tests for Eagles, Foles

By Ed KraczStaff writer

Saturday

Nov 30, 2013 at 12:01 AMNov 30, 2013 at 8:30 PM

PHILADELPHIA — The NFC’s offensive player of the month for November is now the Eagles’ starting quarterback for the rest of December. And what a month it figures to be for Nick Foles, not only for the impact he could have on the playoff hunt but for his future as the team’s quarterback heading into 2014.

The Eagles will play five games over the next 29 days, beginning Sunday (1 p.m.) with a visit from the red-hot Arizona Cardinals.

“I don’t look at five games in a bulk,” Foles said. “It’s one game against Arizona. That’s our opportunity this week, so all my energy and focus will go into them. That’s the only team we’re playing on Sunday so that’s the team we have to beat. I don’t have to beat those other four (teams) this Sunday.”

The Eagles have won three in a row to climb to 6-5, but they need a win to keep pace with the NFC East-leading Dallas Cowboys, who won on Thanksgiving to reach 7-5. They will be without rookie safety Earl Wolff, whose knee was injured against the Packers on Nov. 3, but the team should have cornerback Bradley Fletcher and linebacker Mychal Kendricks. Both missed the Eagles’ 24-16 win over the Redskins two weeks ago and Fletcher hasn’t played since Nov. 3 in Oakland.

“I love this time of year,” Eagles cornerback Cary Williams said. “It doesn’t get any better. You’re going to get the best out of everybody from this point because everybody is in contention for the playoffs that we’re playing, except, thus far, I think, Minnesota or whatever. It’s a great five weeks we have ahead. It’s going to be great challenge and a fun opportunity for me.”

For Foles, the question is, can he continue to play like he has thus far, with 16 touchdowns and no interceptions to date to go along with a passer rating of an NFL-high 128.

“It would be really cool if he could, I’ll tell you that,” coach Chip Kelly said.

Is it realistic?

“I don’t look at it that way,” Kelly said. “Never have, never will. I mean, we were on pace after six games to be unbelievable and then we had two games where we didn’t do anything offensively.”

The Cardinals have shown the ability to take flight through the air with receivers Larry Fitzgerald and Michael Floyd. Incredibly, Floyd, in his second year out of Notre Dame, has more receiving yards (761) than Fitzgerald (606) although Fitzgerald has one more reception (50-49).

“It’s a huge challenge for everybody,” Williams said. “We have guys here who are set to do what they want to do, do what we have to do, understanding this is must win for us, especially at home, especially where we want to be and that’s the Super Bowl. To get to the playoffs we have to get through Arizona.”

Triggering the offense is the well-traveled Carson Palmer, who may be undergoing a rebirth in the Arizona desert. He has 16 touchdowns but 15 interceptions and has been sacked 30 times. He has a passer rating of 83.

“I know Carson Palmer can kill you with his arm,” Williams said. “He’s a savvy veteran, a guy that’s been around for so long, a guy who can distribute the ball to as many wide receivers as he possibly can. He’s accurate and he’s playing superb right now, so it’s up to us to go out there and get him off his mark, get hands in his face and disrupt the timing of the team and his receivers, as corners. It’s a great challenge for us.”

Arizona, which is led by former Temple University coach Bruce Arians and defensive coordinator Todd Bowles — who was a short-time DC for the Birds last year after Juan Castillo got canned — has won four straight and is streaking along at 7-4 in the tightly contested NFC West.

Arians called Bowles a future head coach, and his DC has the Cardinals’ rush defense ranked second in the NFC and eighth overall.

Chip Kelly said he spoke with Bowles about the possibility of returning to the team after Kelly was hired in January. But, Kelly said, “it was a short meeting. I think he was actually already headed to Arizona at the time. I had a good conversation with him. He’s got a really good football mind. He had some really good ideas. But I think that was kind of a foregone conclusion by the time I had gotten in here.”

The Cardinals’ front seven is a veteran group, led by defensive end Calais Campbell and defensive tackle Darnell Dockett. In the secondary, they have the ultra-talented Patrick Peterson at cornerback and play-making rookie safety Tyrann Mathieu, who was drafted in the third round.

“Besides those two you’ve got (John) Abraham and (Matt) Shaughnessy, Dan Williams, also, (Alameda) Ta’amu is another big guy in there when they’re playing their base package,” Kelly said. “I think Daryl Washington and Karlos Dansby at linebacker are two outstanding players that are playing at a really high level and then one of the best corners in the league, Patrick Peterson. Tyrann Mathieu is a great addition out back. It’s a formidable defense, and they’re playing really, really well right now.”

The Cardinals’ defensive package will clearly be a stern test for Foles as well as the NFL’s leading rusher, LeSean McCoy.

McCoy has 1,009 yards, more than the entire running attack of the Cardinals, which may be without rookie Andre Ellington, whose injured kept him out of Friday’s practice. McCoy’s total, in fact, is more than nine NFL teams.

Bowles called McCoy a modern day Barry Sanders.

Foles has looked like a modern day Joe Montana.

But December starts now.

Ed Kracz: 215-345-3069;

email: ekracz@calkins.com;

Twitter: @kracze

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